“I’ll tell you what really got to me, it was all that talking he was doing in the pre-fight interviews and stuff,” Anderson said in a phone interview after winning The Ultimate Fighter light-heavyweight title with a 61-second TKO Sunday night in Las Vegas. “He was talking like he was the man and I didn’t have what it takes to be a UFC champion. I figured I had to go out there and show him — and show the world.”

And with a few flurries of potent punches, he did just that. Anderson, the quickest MMA fighter to ever make The Ultimate Fighter show — earning a spot after just three fights in the cage — put Van Buren in a daze 24 seconds into the live season finale. He ended it shortly after with a takedown and a barrage of punches that put the 6-foot-5 San Diego fighter in a fetal position.

“I decided I was going to come in and strike fast and strike clean. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way, but it did (Sunday) night,” Anderson said. “I concentrated my punches and I rocked him. Once I got him back-pedaling, I really put the pressure on. I wasn’t going to let this one drag on.”

Anderson disposed of Patrick Walsh in a three-round decision to get to the title round during the 19th season of The Ultimate Fighter. But after watching himself on TV, he said he felt “sick with the way it went; I should have ended that one a lot quicker.” He did so in the big bout, the one with the six-figure, multiple-fight UFC contract on the line in a jam-packed Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“I went for the kill. I knew only one of us was going to get that title; get that contract,” Anderson said. “And, I was able to take care of the fight and take care of my body. You can’t get injured if you don’t get hit.”

And Anderson didn’t get hit squarely once. But he rained down productive punches on Van Buren, and immediately became an employee of the UFC when the referee called it off. He wouldn’t say how much the contract was worth, or how many fights he was in for, but said he’s ready for his life to change in a big way.

“I’m very ready — mentally, athletically, spiritually,” he said. “I’m focused, and I’m prepared to take this as far as I can.”

Anderson is in the process of building a camp to guide him. He hopes to make an appearance or two as an assistant coach on Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, but most of his time will be spent either in Phoenix or Las Vegas training for his next UFC bout.

“I don’t know who it will be, or when,” Anderson said, “but I’m going to show them that I’m not a one-fight fluke. I’m here to stay.”

For now, he’ll spend a few days at home in Rockton regrouping, and celebrating a little.

“There’s going to be some parties, I’m sure,” he added. “But I just need a couple of weeks to get my body back to normal, hanging out with my friends and family, and then I’ll be back at it. Now’s the time for me to go out and grab whatever I can, as fast as I can.”